Dead for a Minute "Diégése" 10
[Shogun]
This French band's brand of metalcore would put most American bands to shame from a chaotic/over the top standpoint. The writing is very frantic with tons of changes and a flurry of blinding assaults. Scathing screams with brief spoken blurbs, grinding blasts shift to odd timed jazzy fills, clean guitars seep through a wall of noisy discordance, and so on... "Trelskovsky" starts with a lengthy sample from a French movie and then explodes into some of the most insane and abrasive metalcore I've ever heard. "Étain" is slower with far more intriguing rhythms and memorable riffing, not to mention some great drumming that sounds slightly thicker. "Fétiche" ends with clean guitars and what sounds like a sample of a child singing? The title track is also rhythmic and harnesses a more powerful sense of energy, plus there's better control over the arrangements. Side B only contains one song that clocks in at four times the average length of the other tracks: "Le Poison Sur la Langue". Early on there are some plain chugging rhythms, the only time they appear on the entire release, but the second wave unleashes some awesome arpeggios with really unique note bends that add a near hint of melody. Very dark. The third and final segment of the track is basically total noise, consisting of various guitar noises and some sick vocal torture at times. The production here is almost the exact opposite of that on their split 7" with Desiderata: It's almost all high-end tones with very little bass. It's too damn thin and lacks power, plus it really needs more clarity and warmth. An even balance and slightly polished sound would really let these songs shine. The lyrics are all in French, as are the titles, so I can't offer any ideas as to what might be going on in that department. I love the artwork on the outer sleeve, though. It's all abstract imagery but the layering and the fiery color scheme work perfectly. Inside everything is black and white with more of a blocky appearance and plain fonts, which is fine, it's just not as striking as the color cover. Fans of longstanding acts like Converge as well as the whole new wave of abrasive metalcore should check into this band for a lesson in true insanity. This is far noisier and harder to follow, but if you like it crazy, this band has some wild shit going on. Now, if only they can nail down a sound that benefits their approach... (7/10)
Running time - 19:00 (approximately), Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Étain, Le Poison Sur la Langue]
Shogun Records - http://www.burnoutzine.net

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